“Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me thy judgments. My soul is continually in my hand: yet do I not forget thy law. The wicked have laid a snare for me: yet I erred not from thy precepts.” (Psalm 119:108-110)
Come to the Lord freely, having nobody pushing you along the path. In private, ask God to teach you His judgments. Allow Him to be with you daily. I mean every hour and every minute of each day. If what you are up to is not for Jesus, then give it up today. Don’t forget God and His laws for mankind. But what about salvation? This is important to think about. A person that is saved is moved by the Holy Spirit. They are then led out of darkness and into God’s light. God is now in control and we are doing His will. This becomes a part of who we are. No longer are we sinning willfully, but our lives are transformed through the blood of Jesus. He has sanctified us, and we are now able to live for God and not the world. God makes us different. The world may hate us because of our faith in Jesus, but we know that this is supposed to happen. We are blessed when we are persecuted. Even people who have died for their faith are blessed to know that they are with Jesus in heaven. This is their reward, along with seeing those they helped also in heaven.
What does God do in and through us? He empowers us to be fearless for His kingdom. And because of this, many people are offended along the way. Persecution may come, but God’s peace prevails. We don’t deny our faith when things get difficult and challenges come. God’s works in us are the fruits of our faith, although works don’t save us. As for me, God has made me bold to share His truths with the world. He has led me to LGBTQ Festivals and parades, of which I have protested with my Jesus sign. I am driven by the Spirit to do this each year and to protest at the LDS General Conferences twice a year. I am also bold to talk to people on the streets and on social media. This has led to people sending me hate mail, as well as the LGBTQ hitting me with sticks and stealing my property. This is all for the glory of God and His kingdom. The best thing we can do in this life is be a worker in God’s harvest. Have faith in Jesus and allow God to work through you. This is when we are not in sin, but live in God’s righteousness. Amen.
The writer of this devotion has paid a heavy price for sharing the gospel. Even so, he continues to take the abuse and tell people the truth about sin and how to gain eternal life.